TRP: Hansel, Hobbert, Mishka, and Naomi (Lynch)
Day 403. Mishka and Hansel are canoodling on the docks in Glimmerton. “Hey Hansel,” Mishka said, cuddling up against his side. “How mad would you be if I pushed you off the dock?” IZZY "You can't push me," Hansel said, all smug. "Too big. Just take you with me anyhow." COYOTE Mishka pushed Hansel. IZZY Hansel was as solid as a rock. He snickered. COYOTE Mishka pushed harder, giggling. He dug his heels into a crack in the dock to give himself more leverage and pushed with his legs. IZZY Hansel tightened the arm he had around Mishka. "You're comin' with me," he threatened, grinning. COYOTE “I’d go with you anyway,” Mishka said, smitten. IZZY "Pfff," Hansel said, embarrassed. "Pfffft." COYOTE Mishka began taking off his fancy leather boots and fine jewelry. IZZY Hansel watched him and grinned. He did a real quiet wolf whistle. COYOTE Mishka took off his shirt and added it to the pile, stripping down steadily until he only wore short leggings. IZZY Hansel kept watching and grinning wolfishly, then thought, ah, shit, maybe he should be doing that, too. Maybe Mishka was just gonna fucking crack them into the water, or something. He didn't have as much shit to take off, though, so he just pulled his bandolier off over his head, then his shirt. That was fine. His boots could handle a li'l water. COYOTE As soon as Hansel was almost finished taking off his stuff, Mishka put his shoulder down and attempted to tackle Hansel. From the look on Hansel’s face, Mishka definitely caught him off-guard, but it didn’t matter; Mishka put a foot out of place, slipped, and fell off the dock towards the water shrieking. IZZY Mishka whumped into Hansel pretty fuckin' solidly, while he was distracted, and Hansel was duly fucking surprised, knocked off balance. Seemed like Mishka fuckin' was, too, though -- he slipped, or something, and toppled off to the water. Without thinking about it, Hansel made an alarmed sound and dove after him. COYOTE Mishka grabbed onto Hansel immediately underwater. IZZY Hansel wrapped an arm around him and kicked to the surface, pushing Mishka up ahead of him. COYOTE As soon as they broke the surface, Mishka wrapped his arms around Hansel’s shoulders, giggling. They were only in about five feet of water. “Got you,” Mishka said smugly. “I win.” IZZY Hansel scoffed and cuddled him, scrubbing his beard against Mishka's face. "Nah. Me. I win. This was my plan all along, see." COYOTE “Mm. Clever. Dastardly. Maybe you deserve a reward for winning,” Mishka said, waggling his eyebrows. IZZY "Ohh, aye?" Hansel grinned again. "You got somethin' good in mind, cap'n?" COYOTE Mishka smiled coyly and leaned in to put his lips against Hansel’s ear. “Mm. Maybe. You know what I bet you’d really like?” IZZY "Anything with you," Hansel said, maybe kinda forgetting the gist of this conversation. Was true, though. COYOTE “We should go and dry off... and get Raef... and then...” IZZY Hansel raised his eyebrows, intrigued. "Aye ...?" COYOTE “And then we go find Goro, and get him in on the fun too... and then... we get a big bed and drag it in front of a big fireplace.... and then we take off all our clothes.... and fulfill your wildest fantasy. And we put on comfortable pajamas and nap together in a large pile. Nap orgy.” IZZY Hansel broke into snickers. He nuzzled against Mishka happily. "You fuckin' know me so well, khochav. I mean, fuck, save it for my birthday, eh?" COYOTE Mishka snuggled himself contentedly in Hansel’s arms. “Or I could just suck your dick,” he said. There was a small, disgusted noise from the dock. IZZY Hansel ducked his head immediately, sheepish. He called, "Sorry," without looking, then hid his snickers against Mishka's neck. COYOTE Mishka giggled. There was total silence from the dock. Mishka hefted himself up to peek upwards. “Hey, what the fuck!” Mishka said suddenly. IZZY "Eh?" Hansel lifted his head again to look over to the dock, already pissed and expecting someone to be stealing their fuckin' clothes or some shit. COYOTE A small kid scampered away with and armful of their things: Hansel’s bandolier, all of Mishka’s jewelry except his focus and wedding ring (which he still wore), both their purses, and Mishka’s fine boots. “Hey!” Mishka said, scrambling up onto the dock. “Motherfucker! Hey, kid! I’ll pay you for those things! Give ‘em back!” IZZY Hansel clawed his way up onto the dock after Mishka. "Cut'em off!" he barked, snapping his fingers and point up ahead of the kid. They could corner'em. Little shit could have some gold, but Hansel wasn't losing his fuckin' tridents and blackberry sprig. COYOTE Mishka cracked ten feet ahead of the kid. The kid skidded to a stop, stammering, glancing left and right. IZZY Hansel caught up and grabbed the kid by the back of their shirt. "Fuckin' calm down," he said sternly, which probably wasn't all that reassuring coming from a six-foot-high dripping half-orc, so he added, "You can keep the fuckin' gold if you're hungry, just gimme my shit back." COYOTE The kid didn’t look like a human kid. They had pale grayish, greenish skin, and sharp elfin ears, and small, pointed teeth. It was a goblin child— or, at least, part goblin. They were better dressed than most goblin children, however. They wore sturdy, simple clothing with no holes or stains, and they had well-made shoes. They tried to dart under Hansel’s legs. IZZY "Hey," Hansel said. He pulled them back and lifted their feet off the ground, scowling. He waved Mishka over to get their things back. COYOTE The kid squirmed, snarling in Hansel’s face. Mishka padded over, barefoot, shirtless, and soaking wet, and pried their items out of the kid’s arms. “What d’you suppose we should do with them?” Mishka said. “Hand them over to cops? Chop off their right hand for thievery?” Mishka’s tone was amused, not serious, but the kid still slunk down, looking terrified. IZZY "Aw." Hansel would've been amused, too, but the kid wasn't, and he had a soft spot for scared kids. Actually, goblins were pretty small. He wasn't sure this was a kid. He didn't know shit. But whatever. "Nah, nah." Once Mishka had their belongings in hand, he gently rested the kid's feet back on the ground. Didn't let go right away, though. "The fuck, kid. You got nice clothes and shit. What're you out here stealin' for?" COYOTE The kid scoffed for a while, seeming intimidated, but kept sneaking glances up at Hansel. “Not supposed to say,” they eventually muttered. IZZY "You with the Redbirds?" he asked suspiciously. He knew Jonn tried to take care of the little ones, make sure they had proper shoes and such. COYOTE The kid looked confused. IZZY He hmph'd. "Well, fuckin' ... just don't cause any more goddamn trouble. Y'know we're the fuckers that live up in the castle, right? I mean, fuck, kid." COYOTE The kid kept sneaking glances up at Hansel, then back at Mishka, who they seemed less focused on. Then eventually the kid said, “You’re Hansel Granger,” like they were making sure. IZZY Hansel narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Mishka, still real suspicious. "Bell. Hansel Bell. Aye." COYOTE “Oh.” The kid seemed disappointed. They squirmed like they wanted to be put down. IZZY "Who's fuckin' askin', eh?" COYOTE “Hobbert,” the kid said. IZZY Well, that didn't mean shit to Hansel. "Someone send you after me?" COYOTE “No.” The kid looked guilty now. “Mama said to skirt around you. Not bother you. You had things, though. Things we could sell.” IZZY Hansel kept his eyes narrow. "And who exactly the fuck is Mama?" He realized he sounded threatening again. Was just his voice. "I ain't gonna do anything if she told you not to fuck with me. Just need to know who it is," he tried. COYOTE “It’s probably just the kid’s mother,” Mishka remarked, wringing out his hair. Before the kid could confirm or deny this, a female voice came calling nearby. “Hobbs! Hobbs, it’s almost dinner time! Hobbert!” In a voice way too loud to produced by something so small, the little goblin hollered, “Over here, Mama! Over here!” A woman came into view down the alleyway, then stopped dead once she saw Hansel holding the child. It was Naomi. IZZY "Uh," Hansel said. "Uh." It was a good thing he'd already put the kid back on their feet, because he let go like they were a snake that'd bit him. Faster than he'd probably actually drop a snake that bit him, really. COYOTE Mishka's amused expression cooled off, and he slipped behind Hansel, gently squeezing his arm in a supportive manner. Naomi's calm smile dropped off her face like it'd been slapped off her. She strode down the alley, snapping, "That is my child." IZZY "Well, you oughta teach'em to not fuckin' steal from big-ass half-orcs," Hansel blurted, then winced, really hearing the my child thing. His skin crawled, both in that uncomfortable way and the way it did before he wildshaped. He backed away half a step, pressing against Mishka. COYOTE Mishka wrapped a protective arm around Hansel's waist. His expression was ice-cold, and he regarded Naomi without saying anything. She bent to gasp Hobbs by the arm. Her face was red. "I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry. Hobbs, did you steal from them?" "You said it wasn't stealing," Hobbs said reluctantly. "I said it wasn't--" Naomi looked deeply uncomfortable having to explain this in front of Hansel and Mishka. Her voice dropped. "I said it wasn't stealing sometimes. Under certain circumstances." "You said if folks left stuff behind or lost it in the... the war-spots..." "The warzone," Naomi said. "You said if folks left stuff behind or lost it in the warzone, we were allowed to take it. They left their stuff behind on the dock. They left it." Naomi looked horrified and embarrassed. "It's still theirs, Hobbert. They were coming back from it." Her face grew redder. She didn't look at Hansel, steadily staring at his feet. IZZY "S'fine," Hansel mumbled. "No, uh. Harm done." COYOTE "Did you give them everything back?" Naomi asked firmly. Hobbs nodded. "Are you sure?" Naomi asked, even more firmly. Hobbs scowled at the ground. "Hobbert," Naomi said sharply, and Hobbs emptied their pockets onto the ground, spilling out gold coins and jewelry. "I am... so sorry," Naomi said, pulling Hobbs closer to her. "Lady of the hearth protect us." IZZY Hansel kind of wanted to grumble something about how they wouldn't need protection from anything else if they had someone like him around, but there wasn't much point in it. Just made him feel fuckin' bitter and .. guilty, or something, for being someone like him in the first place. He didn't want to think about it that much. He squinted down at the jewelry, not actually sure if it was theirs or something the kid had swiped someone else. "Uh. That even yours, ahuvi?" COYOTE Mishka knelt to check. "Huh. Nah, I got what I had back already." Naomi looked deeply ashamed and embarrassed. She paused a long moment, looking down at the jewelry, then, briefly, up at them, then began to gather it up into a pouch. IZZY Hansel was real fuckin' uncomfortable. He didn't want to see Naomi at all, and he sure as fuck didn't want to see her having a bad time, because then he just felt fucking awkward and wanted to do something to help. He was pretty sure, though, that if he said, Kid, you gotta learn what people are safe to steal from, that'd be the wrong thing, and Naomi would fuckin' hate him even more. Which shouldn't bother him, probably. But it did. He wanted to ask, How long're you in Glimmerton? -- maybe so he could just stay out of town for a bit -- but it seemed like none of his business. Apparently she'd told her people to avoid him anyway. Her people. Not his. Right. Right. He had his own people, though, so it was fine. Didn't matter. "Uh." He shifted to take his bandolier from Mishka and duck back into it, because the weight made him feel more secure. "Lissen, if somethin' should happen, I know the captain of the guard in town. I can ... explain shit. If you ..." She wasn't gonna want him to do that. "Anyway. We're gonna go." COYOTE "Yes. That sounds like... that sounds best." Naomi finished gathering the jewelry, doubtless going to sell it later, and took several steps back. "I wanna talk to him, though," Hobbs howled, and Naomi shushed Hobbs loudly, pulling him away down the alley. Once she was gone, Mishka wrapped his other arm around Hansel's waist as well, pulling him tight and close. IZZY Hansel winced at the kid's complaining. Yep. Wasn't gonna think about that, either. He looked away while they walked off, and planted his face in Mishka's wet hair as soon as Mishka pulled him in, making an unhappy mmph sound. "How 'bout that nap orgy," he mumbled. COYOTE Mishka kissed Hansel's head. "Are you alright?" They were both still dripping wet. IZZY Hansel mmph'd again. "S'pose. S'go home." COYOTE Mishka didn't move. Instead he held Hansel there in his arms a long time, squeezing him gently until Hansel was ready to go. Then they talked back to the pier, where their clothes were waiting for them, and went home. -- Sometime after dinner, Mishka and Hansel idled alone outside, sitting and enjoying the silence together. Larkin was in Skyport as usual; Goro was gone somewhere, and so were Theo and Bakir, and Raef and Az; Amari and Joan were at the Sanctuary for the day; and the castle was empty save for the two of them. There came the sound of someone running up the cobblestone path that led up to the castle. "Hey!" hollered a surprisingly loud little voice. "Hey! You in the castle! Hansel Grang-- Bell! Hansel Bell!" The goblin child, Hobbs, sprinted up to them, then landed, panting, at their feet. IZZY Hansel stared. He wasn't exactly sure what the hell else to do. Just felt fuckin' tense and uncertain. "What." COYOTE Hobbs immediately latched onto Hansel and began trying to push him up. "Come help. Mama, she-- there's a bunch of folks who ain't like me stealing, an'-- can you come help?" IZZY "Aw, fuckin' --." Hansel shoved himself up without wasting any time, knowing Mishka would be right behind. "Aye. A'right, where?" COYOTE As soon as Hansel said yes, Hobbs immediately let go and launched themselves forward, howling, "Yes!" at the top of their lungs and bolting down the path. "Hey!" Mishka yelled after them. "Hey! Fucking slow down! We can't run that fast, you tiny fucker!" Hobbs obliged and doubled back, fisting one hand in Hansel's trousers to drag him along with. Hobbs headed towards the forest on the edge of town. IZZY Hansel followed along as fast as he could -- having longer legs helped -- and just in case shit went south, he pulled his silver trident off his back as they went. COYOTE Hobbs led them deeper into the forest. As they ran, Mishka stayed behind Hansel, watched their backs, one hand touching Hansel now and again as though to keep Hansel with him. Hobbs darted through the underbrush like they had all of it memorized, ducking under logs and hopping across rocks. There were a few houses and cabins here, spaced far apart, and some of them looked new. There were wagons, too, like people had been camping here, on the edge of town. Refugees, doubtless, from the places that had been destroyed during the war against Bloodgrut. Things had settled down in the weeks and months since Immanuel's death, but many people were still displaced. Most of the wagons were empty. It was nighttime, and most people were either gone or sleeping. But, finally, up ahead, lights became visible through the trees. A crowd of people gathered in a large clearing, some shouting, some screaming. IZZY Ah, fuck. Things had already gone south. He grimaced and scanned the area for Naomi, white-knuckling the silver trident. COYOTE Several things were immediately obvious. Naomi's caravan sat in the middle of the clearing. It looks like her family had parked it here to sell things: the soapbox had been set out for her husband to stand on, and various items were on display. Second, the caravan had been ripped apart and broken, and people were looting it, pushing each other aside to grab blankets and valuables. As Hansel watched, one broken down the door to go inside to the family's personal quarters. Another man worked on freeing the donkey who'd been strapped to the front of the caravan to pull it. He cut through the straps, and the donkey reared, screaming. A tree stood not far from the caravan. Naomi and her family were backed against it, and as Hansel watched, several men grabbed her and her husband and her various adopted children. Naomi screamed, kicking, as a noose was wrapped around her neck. Two of her children-- big, strong, full-blooded orcs-- fought to reach her. One was kicked in the gut, and he crumpled, wheezing. A woman behind him sank a pitchfork into the orc's back. Naomi shrieked louder as they dragged her towards the tree. IZZY Hansel remembered how his mom said that, sometimes, when she got angry, she saw red. He'd done that in his life before, too, but he couldn't help thinking about Marion at this particular fucking moment in time -- thinking about the hanging tree outside Shepherd Hills and the unmarked graves underneath. This did not fucking work for Hansel. He slammed a boot purposefully into the dirt as he shoved forward, calling, Help, grow, here, and eager stalks pierced up through the ground, grasping and twining and curling up around everyone for a good twenty feet around Naomi. In the next movement, he threw his trident at the woman with the pitchfork -- fucker -- and started fumbling for another weapon on his back. COYOTE "Hobbert, go hide," Mishka snapped at the child, and Hobbs obediently bolted, scampering up the nearest tree in a flash. Mishka's grip on him tightened, briefly, a questioning squeeze as though asking briefly for direction, for what Hansel wanted him to fucking do, here. IZZY "Get Naomi," Hansel said urgently, finding his javelin on his back and looking for an angle where he could hit as many fuckers as possible with one throw. COYOTE Mishka hesitated for a split second, tightening his grip like he didn't want to leave Hansel alone in the middle of a lynch mob, then cracked away. He reappeared next to Naomi, drawing his rapier in a split second and sinking it into her nearest attacker's gut, then kicking him off the end of it. The vines had wrapped around almost every near Naomi, only leaving two or three people free. Several of Naomi's family struggled, terrified, and many of the crowd screamed, bolting into the woods. But some remained. A man nearby hurled himself at Hansel, snarled, swinging a meat cleaver, another shot at Hansel from behind, sinking an arrow into Hansel's shoulder. IZZY Hansel slammed his boot into the ground again, baring his teeth at the nearby man -- the one with a fucking meat cleaver. Valkur. Fucking thinking he could use a goddamn kitchen knife against a pirate, a mercenary, against a motherfucker walking around with two tridents and a magic javelin and a couple of axes. The hell was this idiot thinking. Thunder cracked out sharply from where Hansel stomped. It didn't freak him out so much that he could do that. If it fuckin' scared him, it could fuckin' scare other people, too. It knocked meat cleaver well back away from him, and he snarled, "Don't fucking make me make it worse," -- shooting a glare over his shoulder but otherwise fucking ignoring the arrow sticking out of his shoulder. He didn't stop stalking towards Naomi and Mishka. COYOTE While Hansel was stalking over to Naomi, something became apparent. Some of these people were vaguely familiar. They were refugees. From the Gentleglen area— and a few, specifically, from Shepherd’s Hill. The man with the meat cleaver— who was the local butcher of Shepherd’s Hill, whom Hansel had met— collapsed onto the ground, bleeding from his mouth, eyes dazed by the thunder and electricity around Hansel. He began to convulse. Mishka kept defending Naomi, picking off anyone near her. Naomi sliced herself free of the grasping roots and knelt to help her nearest daughter. The people who had run were gone. Now there were only a few people left: those entangled by the grasping roots and vines, and four or five attackers. The men who were still free began to try and drive Hansel off: some threw stones, one threw a knife, and the man with a bow shot two more arrows. IZZY Hansel growled. He wasn't that bothered by the rocks, the knife, the arrows sinking into him -- he'd had worse. Shit, he'd had similar from these same fucking people, before, when he was younger and weaker. He had a fleeting moment of wondering if they even recognized him, or if he was just some random fucking orc to them, getting in the way of them slaughtering another one. The grasping plants he'd called up withered and sunk back down into the ground, and he reached the orc who'd been stabbed by a pitchfork. He slammed his boot into the woman who'd stabbed them, wrenching his trident out of her, and offered the injured orc a hand up, using his body to try to shield them from the arrows and such. He could take it. Just needed to get Naomi's kids all together with her, safe. Then he could deal with the rest of these fuckers. COYOTE Naomi’s daughter with the pitchfork wounds in her back reached to grasp Hansel’s hand, twisting her head up to look at him— first in relief, then confusion. She pulled herself up, then grasped the pitchfork and jerked it around to use as a weapon, slamming it into one of Hansel’s attackers— the man with the meat cleaver, who had come up behind him again. Mishka reached out a hand, grasping Hansel, fleetingly, pouring magic into him, casting a Haste spell. “Not done yet,” Mishka said, breathless. Nearby, the leader of the apparent mob raised her arms, chanting. It was a fair blond woman, her hair whipping around her. Human. She pointed at Hansel, and a lightning bolt exploded from her hands and slammed into him. Shouts of alarm came from the remaining lynch mob. The remaining men seemed to rally— but so did Naomi’s family, who pulled themselves to their feet, some shifting to stand next to Hansel, grabbing weapons from their dead attackers. Naomi grasped Hansel’s shoulder, and warm healing magic sank into him. Closing some of the cuts and wounds. IZZY Hansel growled. He didn't even fucking want to fight these people. He wanted them to just leave him the fuck alone -- leave Naomi's family alone, even if they weren't his family. But they'd left their shitty fucking town and just spread out here, where his family was, where Naomi was just trying to live her fuckin' life away from shit like him. Fuckers were ready to hang a woman over her kid not understanding the world yet. They just wanted to fuckin' hang an orc, he supposed, and it didn't matter that she'd never done a thing to them. It didn't matter how goddamn good anyone tried to be. Mishka's magic bolstered him, and as he reached up to jerk a couple arrows out of his shoulders, Naomi's magic closed up the wounds. The fucking mob wasn't going anywhere, so he fuckin' wasn't either, and he could feel bad and guilty about how he hadn't wanted to kill them, hadn't wanted to be a fucking monster, later. Now, he yanked his axes off his belt and flung them both in one move -- one going a bit wide, but the other thwacking solidly, wetly into some fucker's gut. Was just the opening act. The Clockwork Trident came off his back next, and he lunged for that spellcaster, fueled by Mishka's magic and his own general fucking rage, going for her throat as many times as it fucking took. If she didn't die, the most important thing was that she looked at him, and knew he was the biggest fucking threat here, and didn't hurt anybody else. COYOTE The spellcaster crumpled as the spokes of Hansel's trident dug into her, driving deep into her gut. She gripped the trident as though to pull it out, tugged, and failed, and then her hands went limp as her eyes clouded over. Mishka followed him as he attacked the woman, staying closely behind Hansel. He snapped his fingers to send a fireball streaking over Hansel's shoulder. It exploded into flame in the middle of the grass, wiping out half the remaining crowd. The rest screamed. They rolled in the grass, trying to douse their burning skin and blazing clothing, but it did little good. Mishka let out a breath, relaxing as the battlefield quieted and their surviving enemies fled. "Are you okay?" he murmured, quiet enough that only the two of them could hear. IZZY Hansel's skin was hot from the fire, from the magic, just from himself. Elitash had this phrase she'd use sometimes, when she was starting to get pissed of with someone. You're gettin' my blood up, she'd say, all threatening. Hansel always kinda squinted about it, wondering what the hell exactly that was supposed to mean, but it wore off on him. Was the same kind of thing where his mom would say that she saw red, sometimes, he supposed. Just meant fuckin' anger. Rage. His body ached to chase down the fuckers running away from the fire. He could just go straight through the blaze, soak it in, deal it back out with his trident. Hurt them worse. Make sure they all died. Was what they fucking deserved, and who the fuck was going to stop him? Who was going to argue with him, the fucking six and a half foot high orc with the tridents and the scars, the burning arrows sticking out of him, who could turn into a goddamn bear and coax the earth into doing what he wanted? He was fucking unstoppable. He'd fuckin' show them. The need quieted, though, at the sound of Mishka's voice. His knuckles were white and bloodless around his trident, and he focused on that, briefly -- one step at a time. Breathe. Relax. Breathe. He let out a long, steady breath like a sigh. "I'm good," he muttered. "I'm good." He passed his trident from one hand to the other, so he could link the first with Mishka's hand to ground himself, and turned to appraise the other orcs -- Naomi's family. Had a little magic left in him, but it seemed like she probably had the healing covered. Maybe there was some other way he could make himself useful, though. COYOTE "Really?" Mishka said, touching his arm again. Hansel's side was charred and burnt where the lightning had hit him, and he had multiple arrows sticking out of him. Mishka had some concerns. IZZY Hansel glanced down. Hm. "Eh," he said, because that was what he did. More important things to worry about. He dug the end of his trident into the ground for stability. COYOTE Naomi's family gathered around her a little protectively. One of the family was an older, smaller, livelier-looking male half-orc with a colorful patchwork vest; the man who normally stood on the soapbox and called out sales. He bent to check on her. "Nae, my love. Are you alright? Shall we run for a healer?" She rubbed her throat, doubled over on the ground. "No healer," she rasped. One of the orcs-- the large, burly female fighter who Hansel had helped clapped him on the shoulder, then winced. "We can help you with that," she offered, looking at the arrows in his back. Mishka wound his hand around Hansel's waist protectively, again, as thought to steady him, keeping a sharp eye on the battlefield. IZZY Hansel flinched at the slap to his back. It did hurt, but eh -- what was a little pain. More caught him off guard. He expected to be ... run off. Or told off, at least. For being violent, for being a pirate and a mercenary. For being one of the bad ones who gave orcs a poor reputation. He wasn't gonna think about Nae, my love. Wasn't gonna think that probably meant the smaller man was his grandfather. Yehuda's dad. Nope. More family he didn't get to have. Nope. Not thinking about it. "Eh," he said again, leaning into Mishka. He felt a little light-headed. The crash after the rush and a distinct feeling of not wanting to fucking be here, and sure, probably the blood loss. "I'm, uh. Fine." He glanced at Mishka. Mishka was fine. "We oughta ... go." COYOTE "Are you certain?" Naomi said. The other members of her family-- which included the older orc man, the burly orc woman, the younger orc man, a short tiefling, and a goblin-looking teenager-- looked at her in surprise. Naomi looked ashamed, eyes downcast. She didn't look at Hansel when she said it. IZZY "I'm fine," Hansel said again. "Uh, your --." He adjusted his hold on his trident. He was having some trouble balancing his weight between it and Mishka and his own two legs. Felt shaky from that lightning, before. "Your kid. Hobbs." He looked back the way they'd come, realizing -- guiltily -- that once he'd seen what was happening to Naomi, he'd forgot to make sure Hobbs was safe. "I ain't sure where he went to." COYOTE Naomi looked a little startled, but her confusion wore off in a moment. "Oh," she said, pulling herself to her feet. "Hobbs-- came and got you? That's what you showed up." The various members of Naomi's family glanced at each other. It seemed like some sort of unspoken discussion passed between them. Naomi looked worried, but not overly so, as if Hobbs did this sort of thing and she expected him to be fine. "Ketchka," Naomi said to the burly half-orc woman. "Can you...?" "Sure thing, mama," Ketchka said. She grabbed a pitchfork to use as a weapon to defend herself and headed into the woods, calling, "Hobbs! Hobbert!" Naomi hesitantly rested her hand on Hansel's shoulder. "You have so many arrows in your back." IZZY Hansel watched after Ketchka, worried. If there were fuckin' people still hiding out in the trees ... He kind of moved to follow her, but that movement made his head spin. He guessed it was a fucking lot of arrows. Hadn't really noticed most of them. "M'fine," he insisted, though. COYOTE Mishka grabbed him to steady him. Mishka turned his attention to Naomi, ignoring what Hansel was saying, murmuring, "We have a healer in our group, a priest who can help him. His daughter is a cleric, as well. But they're both gone for the day. Please, do you have any bandages?" "I've got him," the tiefling said, sliding under Hansel's other arm to support him. "Hansel," Naomi said gently. "Sit down." IZZY Hansel shifted, deeply fucking uncomfortable. He didn't want these people to have to take care of him. Wasn't like he was gonna die, anyway -- he'd be fine. Mishka could crack him back to the castle and he could sleep it off, and ... he'd be fine. He glanced to Mishka, not sure if he was going to ask Mishka to do that, or ask what Mishka thought they should do, but Mishka was the one asking for bandages. Right. Mishka wanted him to be safe. Not bleed out, and such. Hansel could do that. That made it a little easier. He mumbled, "A'right," and let Mishka and the tiefling guide him. COYOTE "Thank you," Mishka said. "I've got you. Everything's going to be good, my love." The tiefling guided him down to a stump near the tree. The tiefling let go, but Mishka held on a moment longer, making sure he was comfortable sitting. Naomi reached to touch the arrows on his back. "We can't pull them out yet," she said quietly. "He might bleed out." Then she put a hand against his shoulder, then began to snap the shafts off the arrows. Mishka touched his face, guiding Hansel to look at him, murmuring, "Good. You're holding very still for me, my love. That's good." IZZY Hansel felt vaguely embarrassed. His entire back just sort of throbbed with pain. "Ain't that big a deal," he insisted, but it came out weak, and he realized he was tipping towards Mishka, and his trident -- which'd still been clutched tightly in one hand -- slipped and thunked to the ground. COYOTE "Mhm. That's right. All good," Mishka said. He let Hansel settle against him. Naomi glanced up, briefly, during her work, giving them a funny-- almost embarrassed-- look. IZZY Hansel focused on breathing, leaning into Mishka and closing his eyes. He fumbled for his trident blindly, but couldn't get a grip on it, couldn't really find it. His fingertips tingled. "M'fine," he muttered again, stubbornly. He'd get his second wind any moment now. COYOTE "You're his husband?" Naomi said, hesitantly, after a moment. "I gather from the matching rings, I mean." "Aye," Mishka said. Naomi began bandaging a gash on Hansel's arm. "Why?" she said. Mishka paused for a long moment, then said, very carefully, "That's a very rude question, and I'm going to give you a chance to retract it." Naomi grimaced, looking away. Reluctantly, after a moment, she said, "I'm sure you-- see things in him." "Well, naturally. Like, for example, the fact he just saved all of you lives after you told him he was useless. I have the best husband." IZZY Hansel stopped trying to get his trident to pat at Mishka instead, weakly, protesting, "Ahuvi." COYOTE Mishka was quiet for a while, and so was Naomi. Mishka folded his legs to sit beside Hansel on the stump, then took Hansel's trident and fastened it to his back where it belonged. Then, in a softer, quieter voice, he said, "Hansel and I were friends for a few years before we started being together. He was always so fucking careful with me, and so gentle. And he never... wanted anything from me. At first I thought-- he was being sweet to me because he wanted something out of me, but over time I realized, he just was that way. He was just good, and kind." Mishka tilted to indicate the field of dead men. "And protective. He's like that. So that's why." He didn't mention the other part, which was that Hansel was pretty brutal and also a dick. Mishka liked those parts too, but they weren't particularly relevant right now. "Maybe that's Yehuda in him," Mishka said. "Marion said he was kind." IZZY Hansel mumbled without really saying any words. It was fucking embarrassing. Mishka shouldn't have to defend him, and lie about what he was like. And Naomi shouldn't have to put up with him, and pull arrows out of him. But she shouldn't be hanged, either, and neither should her son have been, and Hansel thought -- if he could have been there, somehow -- maybe he could have killed these fucking people long ago, and kept Yehuda alive. He tugged on Mishka to drag Mishka into his lap, to wrap around him and hide against his chest. "Ain't kind," he muttered. "Just fuckin' ... necessary." COYOTE Naomi was quiet a little while longer. She hung her head, and she finished bandaging Hansel up. Ketchka returned with Hobbert on her shoulders. Hobbert looked pleased, drumming his heels against Ketchka's chest, and as soon as he saw Hansel, he scrambled down and then bolted over. He climbed the lynching tree to survey the area, then cackled from up in the branches. "What a strange little creature," Mishka commented mildly. Naomi stood up and stiffly brushed herself off. "We adopted him on the road coming down here. He was, um, very interested when we... heard stories about the war, and heard stories about all of you killing General Immanuel and stopping the invasion, and when he learned you were-- when he learned you are my grandson. He... thinks you're very neat, he said." IZZY Hansel scoffed weakly. He was feeling a bit more stable. The breathing, and holding Mishka, and being patched up, he supposed. "Kid ain't got any sense," he mumbled, and chewed on grandson for a second. Seeing how it felt. He'd had human grandparents, but barely any memory of them. Having any other grandparents would mean having a dad, and he didn't. Not really. But there was blood there, and it gave him an odd thought. He lifted his head a little reluctantly to peek at Naomi. "Hey. You a druid?" COYOTE "A little," Naomi said. Hobbert scrambled down the tree and began rifling through the pockets of the corpses, then stripping off their boots. Ketchka went to help. IZZY He half hid again, so he could keep looking at her but muffle his words against Mishka's shoulder. "I'm a druid. A little," he said, like she was supposed to care. COYOTE Mishka wrapped his arm around Hansel's opposite shoulder so Hansel could hide more easily. "You are?" Naomi said quietly. She sounded... oddly pleased and faintly proud. "You... must have gotten it from us. My mother was a druid, too. Your grandfather had no magic, though." IZZY "Mmph." Hansel wanted to ask questions. Had. So Yehuda's father ... wasn't around anymore. Old, probably. Was like that for orcs. He wanted to ask what the man had been like. He wanted to ask what his dad has been like. That was too much, though. Too painful. Even if Naomi was saying my grandson and your grandfather -- well, it was just easier to say it that way, Hansel figured. She was tired. Not up to talking around the matter. "I didn't used to," he said, 'cause that seemed safer. "Just ... got it. A bit ago. Was weird." COYOTE "That's common," Naomi said patiently. "Likely you had it all along, but it didn't rise to the surface until later in life. What happened?" IZZY Was it common? Hansel didn't know this shit. The Lady knew shit, but she had a way of not making much sense when she explained it. She didn't talk to a lot of people. Hansel figured it wasn't her fault. He kept watching Naomi, safe behind Mishka's shoulder. "Uh," he said. "Uh." Fuck. How to explain the Gruumsh shit, and Serena, and waking up and accidentally causing rain to fall indoors. COYOTE Mishka helped him out. "We've gone through some interesting events, and we've been exposed to some strange magic. Likely something triggered a latent ability of his. We're not sure what, specifically." "Oh. Like what?" Naomi said. "Well, we had an interesting brush with a couple deities," Mishka said. "Could be that. Could also just be that he was under a lot of stress and something came loose." Blandly, he remarked, "He turned into a cat after talking to you back in Gentleglen. Perhaps the panic attack knocked something loose." Naomi winced. IZZY Hansel winced, too. He squeezed Mishka a bit, not really sure if he wanted Mishka to stop or not. Supposing he just stayed quiet, and waited to see what Mishka would say -- because Mishka would only say good things about him, he knew, and leave out all the other shit, and make him out to be a fuckin' hero who'd never done anything wrong. And maybe Hansel wanted to hear that. Maybe he wanted Naomi to hear that. Maybe he wanted her to fuckin' like him, and think he was like her son, even if he wasn't. He wasn't, was the thing. And she'd realize that no matter how clever Mishka's tongue was, if she was around him long enough. More and more, Hansel realized he was his mother's son, and the ocean's, and fucking Gruumsh's. He was what his life had been filled with. And that wasn't Yehuda, and it wasn't Naomi. He kinda felt the urge to be a cat again now, so Mishka could cuddle him and coo over him and carry him home. He held it off, though, and nudged Mishka instead. "Ready to go," he muttered. "Home." He found Mishka's hand to squeeze it. Please. COYOTE Mishka's face was cold and impassive, and he looked like he wanted to say something else-- like he wanted to keep going, gradually getting a little more cutting and spiteful with each word, until Naomi didn't dare speak to Hansel or even look at him again-- but when Hansel nudged him, he glanced down at Hansel hiding against his chest, and he softened. It seemed like seeing Hansel again brought him back to the reality of the situation, which was that Hansel was scared and hurt. Mishka squeezed Hansel's hand back. "I can take you home, neshama. We can wait for Goro to come back, and he'll heal you." Then he turned his attention to Naomi again. "If you'd like, you can come stay near the castle. No one will come attack you again, there." IZZY Hansel nodded. That was good thinking. He didn't want to say why it was that folks were wary of the people who lived in the castle. "Aye," he offered, a bit weakly, still. "You'll be safe. There's --." He started to mention the field to the east of the castle, and how there was room to camp there, but that'd put the Novads mighty close to the farmhouse where Marion and Leigh lived. He wasn't sure if that was wise. "There's ... room," he finished lamely. COYOTE Hobbert, down in the field, began to howl triumphantly. "We're going to stay by the castle! We're going to stay by the castle where Hansel is!" Ketchka bent down to stifle him. Naomi ducked her head. "That's... very kind. I'd like that." She looked up, resting her hand on Hansel's arm. "Thank you, Hansel." IZZY Hansel kind of -- not shrugged her off, exactly, but shrunk and shifted away from her. He didn't want anyone touching him. Mishka was safe, and Goro would be, if he was here, and maybe Jonn, but -- no one else. He tried to make it look like he was just moving to straighten up, slipping Mishka back to his feet so they could both stand. Not like he wanted to escape from this harmless fucking old woman, and sit somewhere quiet and ask his husband to pet his hair until he stopped feeling fucking uncomfortable. Nah. He was a normal fucking person. He was just standing up. "Aye," he said again. "Ain't any trouble." COYOTE Mishka slipped under Hansel's arm to steady him firmly, then cracked them both away. They reappeared just outside the castle walls. Mishka paused, gently holding Hansel in case he needed to vomit from teleportation sickness. IZZY Hansel swallowed. Mostly made him woozy again, and he held Mishka back to keep upright. He thought again about being a cat, and having Mishka pet him and carry him. They were out of danger now, though. Bah, they hadn't been in danger before. Stupid fucking things he decided were danger and weren't, charging straight into a crowd of lynch-happy fuckers and then getting spooked by ... whatever the fuck. Either way. He was relieved to be here. He dropped his face on top of Mishka's head with a weary sigh. "Thanks, ahuvi," he mumbled. COYOTE "It was nothing." Now that they were out of sight, safely alone, hidden in the forest against castle wall, Mishka took Hansel's face in his hands, whispering, "You did so good. I can't fucking believe you, sometimes, you know that? Charging in there to save them even though you didn't have to, even though that woman was awful to you. The way that one peasant struck you with lightning and you just snapped her in half. Good gods, Hansel." He stroked the bloody hair out of Hansel's face, then snuck up to pepper his face with kisses. IZZY Hansel psshh'd weakly. "Wasn't a big deal," he said, always with that tiny quiet hope that Mishka would just keep talking about how it was. COYOTE "Mm. No, of course not, not for you," Mishka said, pleased. His voice was still soft and gentle. He kept combing Hansel's hair with his fingers. When his fingers found a burr, he picked it loose painlessly, discarding it. "You're so fucking strong. Those survivors ought to be scared of you. I doubt they'll look twice at Naomi and her lot again. You did so well, so perfect, so good. This is why I fell in love with you, you know, the way y'just, y'know, fucking charge in there and take care of things. My lovely, handsome, perfect husband." IZZY Hansel psshh'd again, embarrassed and pleased. He fidgeted. "Hey. Uh. If I, uh, turn into a cat ..." COYOTE Mishka kissed his nose repeatedly. "Then you will be smaller than me, and thus I will be in charge, because that's how it works. And I will capture you and carry you about, petting you and cooing over how good you are. Letting you sit in my lap by the fire. And you shall have no say in it. None at all. Because you will be a cat, and be unable to speak, and I will be the alpha husband." IZZY "Hey," Hansel protested, not meaning it. "You fuckin' will not." COYOTE Mishka giggled. "I absolutely will." He kissed Hansel's face, then his shoulders, because those were easier to reach, and Mishka didn't have to stand on his toes. "You should try me. Test it out. Turn into a cat and see what I do. I bet you'll be a good, sweet cat for me." Then he stood on his toes and said in Hansel's ear, "Because you are a good, sweet husband. In general. A good, sweet man. And I bet you'll stay the same when you're a cat." IZZY "Psshh," Hansel said. "Psshh." He wrapped his arms around Mishka's neck and leaned into him, and closed his eyes, and sometimes when he wildshaped it was like just ... relaxing. Letting go and leaning in. This was one of those times. COYOTE Mishka supported Hansel's weight as he fell, becoming lighter and lighter, until at last Hansel was a small but dense and heavily muscled weight in his arms. Mishka cooed over him, kissing his little cat-shaped head, stroking Hansel's thick fur with his fingers, working out the knots and brambles as gently as possible so as not to hurt Hansel. "There you go," Mishka said. "All good now. All mine. All good. Such a good husband." He headed inside with Hansel cradled protectively in his arms, as though he were carrying some particularly delicate treasure. IZZY Hansel purred loudly and butted his head against Mishka -- soft, and small, and safe. END Category:Text Roleplay